Hinge for sewing machine shuttles



March 27, 1962 w. D. SZUBA ETAL HINGE FOR SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLES Filed Jan. 19, 1959 INVENTORS Walter D. Szuba f/WITNESS George L. Z i lg BY 6 7Z6 1 7 ATTORNEY United States atent "ice 3,026,836 HINGE FOR SEWING MAClmdE HUTTLES Walter D. Szuba, Summit, and George L. Zilg, Dunellen, N.J., assignors to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,649 2 Claims. (Cl. 112-232) This invention relates to sewing machines and more particularly to a hinge for the cap of a sewing machine shuttle, and the invention has for its primary object to provide an improved device of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination sewing machine shuttle and hinge in which all the parts arestrong and durable.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a sewing machine shuttle housing and cap showing in full lines the cap in its closed position and in dash lines the cap in its open position, the cap being connected to the housing by a hinge embodying the present invention,

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view, partly in section, as seen substantially on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view, as seen on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2, and

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of parts of the hinge shown in FIGS. 1-3.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the device of the present invention is shown as comprising an open sided substantially C-shaped shuttle body 16, and a shuttle cap 17, the cap 17 being connected to the body 16 by means of an improved hinge indicated generally by the numeral 18. The shuttle body 16 and shuttle cap 17 are similar to the body and cap shown in United States Patent No. 2,761,402, and thus need not be described in complete detail. Suflice it to say that the shuttle body 16 is held to the frame of a sewing machine by a pair of screws (not shown) passing through holes 19-19, and that the cap 17 is held in the closed position by a pair of turnable latches 21-21. Each latch 21 has a curved locking arm 23 which, in locked position, overhangs a portion of the shuttle cap 17. Each latch 21 is held to the body 16 by means of a screw 24, the shank portion of which is surrounded by a helical compression spring 26, one end of which engages the head of the screw 24 and the other end of which engages the latch 21, thereby biasing the latch 21 downwardly with sufficient pressure to clamp the cap 17 to the body 16.

In order pivotally to mount the cap 17 on the body 16 by means of the hinge 18, the body 16 is provided with a hole having a small bore 32 and a counterbore 33 providing a shoulder 34 which is engaged by one end of a helical compression spring 36. The other end of the spring 36 is engaged by one end of a cylindrical nut 37 having a screw driver slot 38. The nut 37 is threaded on one end of a shank 39 forming part of a leaf 41 of the hing 18. The leaf 41 is also provided with a flat rectangular head 42 having a hole 43 for accommodating a pivot pin 44 spanning a slot 46 formed in a bifurcated arm 47 which is formed integrally with the cap 17. The body 16, in addition to having the above described bores 32-33, has a radially extending groove 48 adapted to accommodate a lower portion 49 of the head 42, thus 3,026,836 Patented Mar. 27, 1962 preventing the leaf 41 and the hinge 18 from turning. Because of the groove '48 and portion 49, the cap 17 will be properly seated on the shuttle body 16. The dimensions of the various parts are such that, just prior to the shuttle cap 17 being fully seated on the body 16, the cap 17 will rock in a clockwise direction (FIG. 2) about a location 51 as a fulcrum. When the shuttle cap 17 is fully seated and the latches 21-21 closed, the portion 49 will be raised slightly above the bottom of the groove 48, thereby slightly compressing the spring 36. The present device is especially advantageous because the portion 52 of the body 16 is solid except for the bores 32 and 33 and the groove 48. In other words, the body 16 has, except for the groove 48, a continuous unbroken outer subportion 53 of the portion 52. Also, the body 16 has, except for the groove 48, a continuous unbroken inner subportion 54 of the portion 52. More specifically, the outer subportion 53 of the portion 52 constitutes that solid me tallic portion of the body 16 which extends from the outer circumference of the body 16 to the bore 32-33. In like manner, the inner subportion 54 of the portion 52 constitutes that solid metallic portion of the body 16 which extends from the inner circumference of the body 16 to the bore 32-33. This construction has been found to be especially advantageous because it prevents distortion and/ or breakage of the body 16.

During operation of the sewing machine, the cap 17 is held in a fully closed position by clamping latches 21-21. This compresses the spring 36, which also helps to hold the cap 17 in position. When it becomes necessary to clean the shuttle body 16 or remove the shuttle (not shown), the latches 21-21 are opened, and the cap 17 is turned from the position shown in solid lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 to the position shown in dash lines in the same figures. Because of the outer subportion 53 and the inner subportion 54 which are formed on opposite sides of the bores 32 and 33, the portion 52 is strongly constructed to prevent breakage of the shuttle body 16. The herein described construction wherein the portion 52 radially outwardly and radially inwardly from the bores 32 and 33 is continuous prevents the C-shaped shuttle body 16 from springing open sufficiently to cause the shuttle (not shown) to have a loose fit within the raceway of the shuttle body 16.

Having thus described the nature of the invention, what we claim herein is:

1. A shuttle mechanism for a sewing machine comprising a shuttle body having a bore, an inner subportion extending along one side of said bore, and an outer subportion extending along the other side of said bore, a counterbore and a radially extending bottomed groove, a shuttle cap, and a hinge movably connecting said cap to said body, said hinge comprising a leaf having a head one end of which is positioned in said groove, and a threaded shank extending into said bore and counterbore; a helical compression spring surrounding said shank and positioned in said counterbore; a nut screwed to the end of said threaded shank and engaging one end of said spring; and a pivot pin for pivotally mounting said shuttle cap on said head.

2. A shuttle mechanism for a sewing machine comprising a shuttle body having a bore, a counterbore and a radially extending groove, and an outer subportion and an inner subportion on opposite sides of said bores, a shuttle cap, and a hinge movably connecting said cap to said body, said hinge comprising a leaf having a head positioned in said groove and a threaded shank positioned in said bore and counterbore; a helical compression spring surrounding said shank and positioned in said counter bore; a cylindrical nut screwed to the end of said threaded shank and engaging one end of said spring, said nut having an accessible screw driver slot; and a pivot pin for 3 4 pivotally mounting said shuttle cap on said head, said References Cited in the file of this patent outer and inner subportions in the vicinity of said bores UNITED STATES PATENTS being so constructed and arranged as to reinforce said body and thereby prevent breakage of said body in the gig 5g Vicinity said We and counterbm- 5 2:761:402 Johnson Sept. 4 1956 

